Missile Defense

Lee Fuell, technical director for force modernization & employment at the National Air & Space Intelligence Center, testified on January 30, 2014, at a hearing on China's Military Modernization and its Implications for the United States before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel held a press briefing on March 13, 2013, to announce increased missile defense operations to prepare for possible attack from North Korea or Iran. North Korea's Supreme Command has recently released threatening statements.

General C. Robert Kehler discusses the future of U.S. strategic nuclear forces, as well as U.S. Strategic Command's broader mission to deter and detect attacks against the U.S. and its allies, prepare for emerging threats around the world, and defend the nation as directed.

Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says the question of what constitutes missile-defense interim capability will loom large over the NATO Summit, but the issue for NATO remains whether they can muster the political, diplomatic, economic, and technical will to bring a ballistic-missile defense capability on line.

At their meeting in Deauville May 25, Russian President Medvedev and U.S. President Obama remained stalled on missile defense cooperation and Russia's bid to join the WTO, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

Following a post-Cold War erosion of senior level attention to nuclear weapons stewardship, the Air Force general charged with protecting the U.S. nuclear arsenal says his service is finally regaining its strategic focus.

In this First Take, CFR's James M. Lindsay says President Obama's decision to alter missile defense plans in Eastern Europe makes sense from a military standpoint but he faces challenges in selling the strategy to Americans.

The United States has pursued missile defense technologies for six decades, with mixed results. Changes under the Obama administration, including adjustments to planned defenses in Europe, could portend a new direction.

Scott A. Snyder testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment; and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade. His testimony addresses North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests and Six-Party talks.

CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

The authors argue that the United States has responded inadequately to the rise of Chinese power and recommend placing less strategic emphasis on the goal of integrating China into the international system and more on balancing China's rise.

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »